GamerSushihttp://gamersushi.com
Byte-sized bits of gaming news and features.Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:32:26 +0000en-UShourly1GamerSushi is all about the raw truth of gaming, in byte sized chunks. We are several gamers who grew up with controllers in our hands, raised by a variety of platforms over many years. We’ve been fanboys of different systems at one time or another, and now we just love to write about our love for gaming, new and old. You won’t find many bloated diatribes here- just observations and humor from a few geeks.GamerSushiyesGamerSushiunsquare@gmail.comunsquare@gmail.com (GamerSushi)Byte-sized bits of gaming news and features.GamerSushihttp://gamersushi.com/img/TGSS.jpghttp://gamersushi.com
TV-14GamerSushi is on Indefinite Hiatushttp://gamersushi.com/2014/10/21/gamersushi-indefinite-hiatus/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/10/21/gamersushi-indefinite-hiatus/#commentsTue, 21 Oct 2014 20:32:26 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25749Hello again, Sushians,
No bones about it, the pace around here has been mighty slow. As Summer came to a close, plans to get the GamerSushi Show and the website back on track were talked about, but never materialized. Unfortunately our lives have changed quite a bit in the past few months meaning that we don’t have nearly as much time to dedicate to GamerSushi as we’d like.
The crew are still emailing regularly and playing games (we did our first Vault of Glass run in Destiny this past Saturday!) so there’s ...

No bones about it, the pace around here has been mighty slow. As Summer came to a close, plans to get the GamerSushi Show and the website back on track were talked about, but never materialized. Unfortunately our lives have changed quite a bit in the past few months meaning that we don’t have nearly as much time to dedicate to GamerSushi as we’d like.

The crew are still emailing regularly and playing games (we did our first Vault of Glass run in Destiny this past Saturday!) so there’s no need to worry about a falling out. We’re simply stepping back from regular GS contributions. Plans are in the works to make a send-off podcast so you can get one more hit of TGS.

Sorry about the radio silence, but we’ve been trying to figure out what to do with GamerSushi since our Summer break and nothing has really stuck. If things change we’ll let you know but for now we’re letting GamerSushi rest for a bit.

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/10/21/gamersushi-indefinite-hiatus/feed/9The Destiny Post-Level 20 Guide to Earning Legendary and Exotic Gearhttp://gamersushi.com/2014/09/22/destiny-post-level-20-guide-earning-legendary-exotic-gear/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/09/22/destiny-post-level-20-guide-earning-legendary-exotic-gear/#commentsMon, 22 Sep 2014 21:26:10 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25734Hey Sushians!
Like many of you, I’ve been playing Destiny since it dropped on September 9. I hit the level cap of 20 about a week after release and I floundered for a bit wondering how to progress. Bungie doesn’t do a good job of explaining Destiny’s post-20 game outside of vague terms, so I put together a guide for how you can increase your Light and earn Legendary and Exotic gear. I’ve tried to be thorough and explain or remove as much of the jargon as I could. If you ...

Like many of you, I’ve been playing Destiny since it dropped on September 9. I hit the level cap of 20 about a week after release and I floundered for a bit wondering how to progress. Bungie doesn’t do a good job of explaining Destiny’s post-20 game outside of vague terms, so I put together a guide for how you can increase your Light and earn Legendary and Exotic gear. I’ve tried to be thorough and explain or remove as much of the jargon as I could. If you have any tips, please add them in the comments!

Post level 20 there are three (well, four) methods of getting Legendary or Exotic gear (purple and orange colored respectively). You can also get random drops (aka Engrams) from killing enemies, but most of what you’ll get from those are Rare (blue). Rare drops will still add to your Light (the post-level 20 progression system), but not as effectively as purple or orange gear. You can also break down blue gear for materials needed to upgrade your armor.

The higher you are in Light, the more post-game content you can tackle. For example, the highest difficulty Vanguard Strike is locked at Light level 24, as is the Nightfall Strike.

First Method:

Vanguard Reputation

The Vanguard is the faction you are in by default. Your class trainer (found in the lower area, down the stairs beside the Bounty bot) will sell you Legendary gear once you hit level 2 in reputation for around 65 – 120 Vanguard Marks.

What does that mean?

Vanguard reputation is how much this faction likes you. You earn Vanguard reputation by doing Vanguard bounties (PVE bounties taken from the Bounty bot in the main area of the Tower), doing the Daily Heroic Story or the Weekly Heroic/Nightfall Strike (accessed from the left side bar on the map screen), Vanguard Strikes (on the right of the map screen beside the Crucible) Patrols and Public Events.

Vanguard Marks are currency. It’s around 65 – 120 Marks for one piece of gear or weapon. You get Marks by doing the Daily/Weekly Heroics, Public Events and the Vanguard Strikes. The higher difficulty the Vanguard strike, the more Marks and rep you gain, so do the level 24 Strikes ASAP. You can earn a maximum of 100 Marks in a week.

Once you hit level 3 in reputation, and every level thereafter, the Vanguards will mail you a special item. Rank 3 is also when you can purchase weapons from the Vanguard quartermaster in the hangar.

Second Method:

Faction Reputation

There are three Factions (currently) in the Tower: Future War Cult, Dead Orbit and New Monarchy. At level 20 you can buy a Faction exclusive class item which will transform any reputation you earn into Faction reputation when you have it equipped. Factions sell gear tailored towards different stats. Factions use Crucible Marks (earned from PVP) to purchase gear.

Factions start selling you gear at reputation level 2, and past level 3 (and with each subsequent level) they will mail you items.

Third Method:

Crucible Reputation

Playing in the Crucible (PVP) will earn you Crucible reputation and Marks. This gear is biased towards PVP play, so if you plan on doing a lot of that, go this route. The Bounty bot in the main area of the Tower also gives out Crucible bounties.

Once you hit level 2 reputation with the Crucible, you can purchase gear.

Fourth Method:

Go to one of the designated exploit spots (such as the Loot Cave in Old Russia) and mindlessly kill enemies for a few hours. Acquire Engrams (random items) and be disappointed when the Cryptarch doesn’t turn them into useful items.

Strange Coins:

Strange Coins can be traded to Xur, Agent of the Nine (a special vendor) who appears only on weekends in the Tower. 13 Strange Coins will earn you guaranteed orange (Exotic) gear, 23 for a weapon, 23 for a vehicle upgrade and an Exotic Engram for 23 Motes of Light. You can only have one orange gear equipped at a time, so choose wisely! You earn Strange Coins from Public Events, Weekly Heroic Strikes and they sometimes drop from chests.

Mote of Light:

After level 20, every level you gain from experience (regular old EXP, not Light) will get you one Mote of Light. Motes of Light can be given to the Speaker or Xur, Agent of the Nine.

What is an Ascendant Shard?

Ascendant Shards are what you need to upgrade Legendary or Exotic gear. It’s a material you get from Public Events and Chests.

TL;DR

Pick whether you want Vanguard, Crucible or Faction gear.

Every day, do the Heroic Daily Story (found on the left hand side of the map screen). Take any Vanguard Bounties you can do, and complete those. Do the Weekly Heroic Strike and as soon as you can, do the highest level Vanguard Strike (Light 24). Mix it up with Public Events and Patrols if you get bored. Here’s a Public Event Clock so you can be as efficient there as possible.

For Crucible gear, play PVP a lot. Keep an eye out for special playlists, which appear on the left side of the map screen and take Bounties.

Destiny is not based around random loot, as much as it seems to sell itself this way. If you put yourself at the mercy of RNG (random number generation), you will be disappointed. You can easily earn the 100 weekly Vanguard Marks with minimal effort and soon you’ll be swathed in Legendary gear.

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/09/22/destiny-post-level-20-guide-earning-legendary-exotic-gear/feed/3Destiny Roll Call!http://gamersushi.com/2014/09/09/destiny-roll-call/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/09/09/destiny-roll-call/#commentsTue, 09 Sep 2014 16:17:32 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25729Today is the day, Sushians! This is the day we step into Bungie’s brave new world and plumb the depths of Destiny for sweet loot.
Since Destiny is coming out on a fair number of consoles, I thought it would be a good idea to do a classic GamerSushi Roll Call! What system are you playing Destiny on? What class are you going to go with?
Personally I was leaning Titan for a while, but I made an eleventh-hour decision to roll a Warlock based on that classes’ level 15 healing ...

Today is the day, Sushians! This is the day we step into Bungie’s brave new world and plumb the depths of Destiny for sweet loot.

Since Destiny is coming out on a fair number of consoles, I thought it would be a good idea to do a classic GamerSushi Roll Call! What system are you playing Destiny on? What class are you going to go with?

Personally I was leaning Titan for a while, but I made an eleventh-hour decision to roll a Warlock based on that classes’ level 15 healing and buffing ability which sounds like it will come in handy. Also, space magic and trench coats.

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/09/09/destiny-roll-call/feed/8Listen to Super Smash Bros. Music on the Go With Play in Sleep Modehttp://gamersushi.com/2014/08/25/listen-super-smash-bros-music-go/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/08/25/listen-super-smash-bros-music-go/#commentsMon, 25 Aug 2014 20:02:18 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25717Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS (and Wii U!) is quickly approaching and like past versions of the games the famous music from each of the franchises represented will be lovingly updated for your listening pleasure.
While I wouldn’t get my hopes up for an official soundtrack, you can still listen to the music from the 3DS version when you’re not playing thanks to “Play in Sleep” mode. With this mode, you can listen to the game’s music while the 3DS is asleep, utilizing the L and R buttons to skip ...

Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS (and Wii U!) is quickly approaching and like past versions of the games the famous music from each of the franchises represented will be lovingly updated for your listening pleasure.

While I wouldn’t get my hopes up for an official soundtrack, you can still listen to the music from the 3DS version when you’re not playing thanks to “Play in Sleep” mode. With this mode, you can listen to the game’s music while the 3DS is asleep, utilizing the L and R buttons to skip tracks. In addition to that, Smash Run will have a customizable soundtrack so you can choose which tunes you want to hear when you play that mode. As an added bonus, you can listen to some tracks from the game on the Smash Bros. website right now, with more to come!

I used to have a lot of the songs from Super Smash Bros. Melee on my an old playlist, so I’m thrilled that I’ll be able to use my 3DS to listen to the game’s soundtrack when I’m not playing it if I want. Super Smash Bros. is equal parts a fun fighter and a love-letter to every series involved and the music is no exception. This is a really killer idea, and I hope more games follow suit in the future.

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/08/25/listen-super-smash-bros-music-go/feed/0GamerSushi is on Summer Breakhttp://gamersushi.com/2014/07/31/gamersushi-summer-break/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/31/gamersushi-summer-break/#commentsThu, 31 Jul 2014 19:04:47 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25710Hey Sushians,
As you might have noticed, things have gotten a mite quiet ’round these parts. That’s because GamerSushi as a whole is on Summer break.
I know, traditionally we only stop The GamerSushi Show during the hotter months, but this year real life has caught up with us hard. Nick is even building things (he got bit by a Dad)!
This also corresponds with the slower schedule of releases in the Summer, with nothing of real note coming out until September 9, when Destiny hits. So, what are you guys doing ...

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/31/gamersushi-summer-break/feed/7Destiny Beta Action with Anthonyhttp://gamersushi.com/2014/07/20/destiny-beta-action-anthony/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/20/destiny-beta-action-anthony/#commentsSun, 20 Jul 2014 17:30:38 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25694I streamed some of the Destiny Beta on PS4 this morning and thought you guys might fancy a glance at it. Did some Explore mode in Old Russia with my Warlock.
Has anyone else been partaking in the Destiny beta? What do you think so far?

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/20/destiny-beta-action-anthony/feed/5Battlefield 4 Dragon’s Teeth Expansion is the Only DLC I’ll Ever Needhttp://gamersushi.com/2014/07/16/battlefield-4-dragons-teeth-expansion-dlc-ill-ever-need/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/16/battlefield-4-dragons-teeth-expansion-dlc-ill-ever-need/#commentsWed, 16 Jul 2014 20:17:28 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25688Yes, my legendary love/hate affair with Battlefield 4 continues. The newest installment of this on-going saga has to do with Dragon’s Teeth, the latest expansion pack that dropped yesterday for Premium members.
An infantry-focused map pack taking place in urban settings in several Asian cities, Dragon’s Teeth removes a lot of the things I don’t like about Battlefield 4, such as almost every type of vehicle, but leaves in all the sweet on-foot action you can handle. The maps are somewhere between the regular size for BF4 maps and the cramped ...

Yes, my legendary love/hate affair with Battlefield 4 continues. The newest installment of this on-going saga has to do with Dragon’s Teeth, the latest expansion pack that dropped yesterday for Premium members.

An infantry-focused map pack taking place in urban settings in several Asian cities, Dragon’s Teeth removes a lot of the things I don’t like about Battlefield 4, such as almost every type of vehicle, but leaves in all the sweet on-foot action you can handle. The maps are somewhere between the regular size for BF4 maps and the cramped Close Quarters DLC for Battlefield 3, meaning that a lot of the running and dying between objectives has been removed.

While throwing vehicles into the mix along with infantry combat might be the Battlefield series’ claim to fame, I much prefer being a foot-soldier whenever possible. I’ve always enjoyed Battlefield’s take on shooting more so than CoD’s or ARMA’s, so Dragon’s Teeth was more or less made for people like me. The four maps included in the expansion are gorgeous, as you might expect, but not having to cater to vehicle gameplay means that there’s more areas for excellent firefights with multiple routes to get around, so the maps not as constricting feeling as Operation Metro or Locker.

The new game mode packaged in with Dragon’s Teeth is Chainlink, which functions like a smaller version of Conquest. Players need to take flags but the twist is that the enemy team won’t start losing tickets unless the flags your team owns are linked together. So if you take A and C flags but don’t own B, there will be no link and the enemy team won’t lose tickets. If you do own A, B and C, all the other team needs to do is take B to break the link, and you can do the same to their flags. If one team owns the majority of the map’s flags it can sometimes be difficult to stage a comeback but making win conditions dependent on holding linked flags adds a lot of strategic thinking as you always have to be looking out for which flags the enemy might take to break your links, or searching for flanking routes to do the same to the other team.

Dragon’s Teeth also adds a score of new weapons including the ever popular .44 magnum variant of the Desert Eagle pistol, which is currently the go-to for anyone that has unlocked it. If you’re a DE user in Dragon’s Teeth, I’d expect a nerf very soon. This expansion also adds riot shield and a new battle pickup called the R.A.W.R., which is an EOD bot with a .50 cal machine gun and four grenade launchers bolted on. The R.A.W.R. is difficult to control but very well armored and quite powerful, although using it does leave your player model exposed as the gadget is remote controlled.

Based on my playtime with Dragon’s Teeth last night, this might be my preferred map pack to play on for the rest of BF4’s life cycle. Bolting around the map on Chainlink, breaking enemy links and flanking fools was a heck of a good time. While Battlefield 4 is still an uneven experience, drilling down to just infantry firefights removes a lot of the frustrating deaths from tanks and helicopters that can leave you feeling powerless. Even if you don’t own Premium, I recommend picking up Dragon’s Teeth.

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/16/battlefield-4-dragons-teeth-expansion-dlc-ill-ever-need/feed/0The Visible, Violent Deaths of Sniper Elite 3http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/07/visible-violent-death-sniper-elite-3/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/07/visible-violent-death-sniper-elite-3/#commentsMon, 07 Jul 2014 22:07:18 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25676Over the weekend I put a decent amount of time into Sniper Elite 3, Rebellion’s latest foray into the realm of shooting a lot of Nazis (and Italian soldiers!) in the face and testicles in slow motion, and I have to say I’m digging it quite a bit.
I’d describe Sniper Elite 3 as a “rough diamond” of sorts. The folks at Rebellion have done a great job of making a fun stealth title and if you like sniping then this is definitely the game for you. Just be aware that ...

Over the weekend I put a decent amount of time into Sniper Elite 3, Rebellion’s latest foray into the realm of shooting a lot of Nazis (and Italian soldiers!) in the face and testicles in slow motion, and I have to say I’m digging it quite a bit.

I’d describe Sniper Elite 3 as a “rough diamond” of sorts. The folks at Rebellion have done a great job of making a fun stealth title and if you like sniping then this is definitely the game for you. Just be aware that there are a few hiccups that might detract from your experience.

I’ve never played a Sniper Elite game before (aside from Nazi Zombie Army 2, which got me interested in the series) so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew of the series from the x-ray kill cam, but other than that I was unfamiliar with it. I’m given to understand that v2 was a linear experience compared to the first game and 3 seems to strike a balance between linearity and open level design quite nicely.

During missions, you’re helped along ably by a lot of the standard modern stealth game tools like tagging enemies through your binoculars or having your last known position highlighted so you can outflank the soldiers trying to locate you. It also helps that the AI isn’t very diligent in their search for you, but that’s what happens when you try to make a game that promotes being stealthy: every enemy soldier has to have a very short attention span.

The real meat of Sniper Elite 3 is, of course, the sniping, although you could probably guess that for yourself. Sniping dudes is by far the most efficient way of killing, especially if you hold your breath which steadies your scope and adds a distinctive reticle that will allow you to see where your bullet will land. You can turn the frequency of the special kill-cam lower or higher depending on your preference. Personally I like to turn it up all the way to get as many x-ray kills as I can.

I rarely like sniping in any game, but the way it’s done in Sniper Elite 3 makes me feel like an incredible bad-ass. Sneaking up into a sniper nest and messing with a generator so the sound of it backfiring covers your shots while you pick off targets is very rewarding, exponentially so if almost every kill is greeted with the sight of your bullet pulverizing rib-cages and disintegrating brain matter. Yes, it’s pretty gory, but it’s so over the top and well designed that it’s an enjoyable sight. The new vehicle destruction is great too, allowing you to see just how much damage a couple .30 rounds will do to a truck’s engine. Oh, and making it blow up.

There are a couple bugs and other weird things I’ve run across, like the aforementioned dim-witted AI and the propensity the game has to chuck you over a ledge if you try to pick up a corpse that happens to be near or dangling over a precipice (this has happened to me a couple times, each time resulting in my death). There are still some of the control issues I experienced with Nazi Zombie Army 2, mostly around how my character interacts with cover. It’s not very clear when I’m “stuck” behind an object and some actions will leave you exposed with little warning (like using your binoculars) so if you’re near an enemy this can be bad news.

Those are minor gripes, though. Sniper Elite 3 has some great co-op options, ranging from Overwatch (one guy with a rifle covers a man on the ground) to your classic survival mode and campaign co-op. Campaign co-op is a lot of fun whether you’re being stealthy and playing sniper/spotter or just tearing through Nazis and throwing caution to the wind. I also have to give a little shout out to the animator or whoever that gave the main character trigger discipline when he’s sneaking around and not shooting anyone. Proper firearms safety is important!

I’d recommend Sniper Elite 3 if you’ve been on the fence.. Has anyone else played Sniper Elite 3? What did you think of it?

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/07/visible-violent-death-sniper-elite-3/feed/1Celebrate the Fourth of July With a Battlefield 4 CTE Easter Egghttp://gamersushi.com/2014/07/04/celebrate-fourth-july-battlefield-4-cte-easter-egg/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/04/celebrate-fourth-july-battlefield-4-cte-easter-egg/#commentsFri, 04 Jul 2014 16:20:10 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25674I don’t need to remind you what today is because I think we all know. It’s three days after Canada Day!
Naw, just kidding: it’s Independence Day, the day where the USA celebrates their victory over the British and their freedom from the monarchy which is a feat they accomplished all by themselves and not with the help of the French, no sir.
To commemorate this occasion, the team at DICE LA who are behind the Battlefield 4 Community Test Environment (CTE), which has fixed more bugs in BF4 in ...

]]>I don’t need to remind you what today is because I think we all know. It’s three days after Canada Day!

Naw, just kidding: it’s Independence Day, the day where the USA celebrates their victory over the British and their freedom from the monarchy which is a feat they accomplished all by themselves and not with the help of the French, no sir.

To commemorate this occasion, the team at DICE LA who are behind the Battlefield 4 Community Test Environment (CTE), which has fixed more bugs in BF4 in a few months than DICE proper fixed in almost eight, added a very special easter egg in their most recent patch. Professional Battlefield 4 sleuth JackFrags (who found the Megalodon in Naval Strike as well) shows off the Fourth of July celebrations added to the map Dawnbreaker:

Pretty cool little Easter Egg from DICE LA in the Battlefield 4 CTE there, I must say. I think the CTE has done great things for Battlefield 4, the “netcode” update being chief among them. I signed up for CTE but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. I hope all of our American Sushians have an excellent Fourth of July!

Nothing screamed “the next gen is here” more than Ubisoft’s E3 2012 stage reveal of Watch Dogs. The PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One weren’t even revealed yet, but everyone knew what Watch Dogs was heralding when Ubisoft showed it off for the first time.

Two years and one delay later, we finally get to hack the mean streets of Chicago. Is Watch Dogs a next gen standard bearer or does it barely straddle the line between the last generation and this one?

Watch Dogs takes place in the nebulous near future where a tech company called Blume has installed a city-wide operating system called ctOS in the Windy City tying everything, from the police presence to the power grid, together. This is where stern white man Aiden Pearce comes in, as one half of a fixer/hacker team with his buddy Damien Brenks. After a supposed milk run goes sideways and his niece ends up dead in a botched hit, Aiden goes underground and becomes a vigilante known as The Fox (although he’s only addressed as such once), taking his brand of justice to the streets.

Watch Dogs is a gritty revenge tale where Aiden tries to track down the folks who killed his niece while his sister constantly tries to tell him to let it go. Watch Dog’s story about surveillance and giving up our privacy for convenience is a wasted opportunity, rife with cliches, lazy (and sort of sexist and racist) stereotypes and hokey dialogue.

Aiden undergoes his quest alongside his trusty cellphone which he uses to hack into the ctOS and turn the city into his weapon. Sure it’s kind of a stretch that the ctOS would cover everything from steam pipes to forklifts, but hiding in a corner while you look through cameras (you can hop from one camera to another within a limited, albeit generous, range) and drop pallets on people and explode grenades attached to guard’s belts offers a sort of odd violent voyeurism to Watch Dogs’ combat scenarios.

This voyeurism extends to the open world gameplay where a big chunk of what you’ll be doing is using the Profiler app to take a peek at the citizens of Chicago’s personal lives and hack their phones for bank account info, songs, side missions and text conversations, to name a few. One set of side missions actually involves Aiden breaking into building security to spy on people in their homes which is rather creepy.

Watch Dogs’ hacking tricks is where its originality ends. The rest of the game is fairly standard open world fare and the game does little to try and stand out from the pack in this regard. You can engage in a little sneakiness, but most of the time you’ll be shooting guys from cover or driving to evade pursuers, the latter of which is a hassle because of the poor driving mechanics. Watch Dogs is aggressively average in terms of gameplay and stuff in the open world for you to do. There’s a sort of perfunctory sense to the game, where everything functions on a level that you expect from a competently-made open world game but it doesn’t go out of its way to try and differentiate itself.

It’s also worth noting that Watch Dogs looks notably worse than it did in 2012. There is a PC mod out there that can give the game some of its shine back, but this is not a good looking title by any means. This is especially disappointing when you remember that this game was poised to usher in the next generation.

Watch Dogs doesn’t do much to set itself apart from the large stable of open world drivey-shooty games out there. On top of downgraded presentation, a bland and unsympathetic protagonist and not offering anything that you can’t already get in the clogged open world genre outside of the hacking, Watch Dogs is not really worth a second glance anymore.

An Aside on Multiplayer from Anthony:

I love the multiplayer in Watch Dogs.

The first time I was hacked, it was annoying because I had little idea what was happening. But then I started to hack people myself and I found it addictive, a high-tech game of hide-and-seek that I excelled at. I would follow my victim’s movements using cameras and dart from place to place to keep them guessing, all the while laughing at their misguided attempts to find me.

I soon figured out the best way to counter being hacked, which is to get somewhere isolated and lie in wait. If you are hiding inside a dumpster and some dude jumps inside, shoot them, for they are the one you are looking for. I spent entire nights playing the online components and even now as I have traded the game in, I find myself wishing I could play just that portion. It can be annoying when you are in the middle of something and someone hacks you, but embrace it because it really does no major harm to you if you lose.

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/03/review-watch-dogs/feed/0Time Management with Persona 4 Goldenhttp://gamersushi.com/2014/07/02/time-management-peresona-4-golden/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/02/time-management-peresona-4-golden/#commentsThu, 03 Jul 2014 04:03:42 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25657I’ve got this new sort of addiction in my life. I’m not sure if there’s medical terminology for a full-obsession with a 6 year old game from two gens ago, but hey, I’ve got it apparently. After years of hearing about the excellence of Persona 4, I decided to finally give it a try on my PS Vita in the form of Persona 4 Golden, an updated version that is an almost perfect handheld experience.
So what makes this game so great? There are a number of things, not the least ...

I’ve got this new sort of addiction in my life. I’m not sure if there’s medical terminology for a full-obsession with a 6 year old game from two gens ago, but hey, I’ve got it apparently. After years of hearing about the excellence of Persona 4, I decided to finally give it a try on my PS Vita in the form of Persona 4 Golden, an updated version that is an almost perfect handheld experience.

So what makes this game so great? There are a number of things, not the least of which happens to be just how damn Japanese the whole thing is. For those that aren’t aware, P4G is an RPG that centers around a high school murder mystery. So, yeah. It’s different.

But what makes P4G really shine is the way it handles sidequests, time and dungeons through a brilliant weather mechanic that sort of ties them all together in a meaningful way. Part of the conceit of the murder mystery is that a new victim disappears on a rainy day. The victim will be killed on the first foggy day after that, which usually happens after several consecutive days of rain. After someone’s been kidnapped, you check the weather forecast, and you have until the next foggy day to save them. If there’s two weeks, then you get two weeks of game time until you have to travel to the alternate dimension (where the victim is trapped) and take on the dungeon.

In the meantime, the game plays out like Bully—go to class, hang out with friends, work odd jobs, study, and learn new skills, each one helping your stats for combat. When you do decide to go to the dungeon in the alternate dimension, you can hop out at any point—and teleport back to that spot when you’re ready to return. Getting tired of the dungeon, too weak or just want to head back to the real world? You’ll be totally fine, as long as you don’t let 2 weeks of game time pass between visits.

The design really is quite brilliant, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen more games try to emulate it since its release. There’s something to be said for playing an RPG that focuses on one small town, a well-defined area, and giving it tons of personality and things to do. As opposed to say, trying to make a ton of huge environments void of personality or any fun interaction.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this game, and I’m shocked by just how much the time management aspect (you only have SO much time to devote to friends, chores, jobs and school) is sucking me in. Have any of you guys played this game? What are some other old games that have surprised you? Go!

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/02/time-management-peresona-4-golden/feed/2What is Your Game of The Half-Year for 2014?http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/02/game-half-year-2014/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/07/02/game-half-year-2014/#commentsWed, 02 Jul 2014 20:14:32 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=256492014 is half-over, which means that the time is nigh to reflect on the last six months of new games. We saw some current-gen only titles drop along with a 3DS title that sought to reclaim the JRPG crown, a couple of big MMORPG releases and a game that actually made people want to buy a Wii U.
As you can probably suss out from the preceding sentence, my favorite game so far this year is Mario Kart 8. I wrote a bit about the sheer joy that playing the newest ...

2014 is half-over, which means that the time is nigh to reflect on the last six months of new games. We saw some current-gen only titles drop along with a 3DS title that sought to reclaim the JRPG crown, a couple of big MMORPG releases and a game that actually made people want to buy a Wii U.

As you can probably suss out from the preceding sentence, my favorite game so far this year is Mario Kart 8. I wrote a bit about the sheer joy that playing the newest Mario Kart can bring you and I’ve yet to even dip my toes into the online mode. It even has a rather forward thinking feature for a Nintendo product in Mario Kart TV, which allows players to slice up clips of their races and upload it to YouTube, which brought us the famous Luigi Death Stare. Some might not like the serious downgrade that the Battle Mode received, but the N64 implementation of that was always the best for me and I haven’t played that mode sense.

We still have six game-packed months to go and my front-runner for Game of the Year will most likely change when 2014 is done and dusted. Even so, I’d like to know what your game of the half-year is. What games do you think will knock it off in the latter half of 2014?

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/28/bungie-reveals-destinys-achievementstrophies/feed/0I Don’t Understand No Man’s Sky, But I Am Hopeful for Ithttp://gamersushi.com/2014/06/27/dont-understand-mans-sky-hopeful/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/27/dont-understand-mans-sky-hopeful/#commentsFri, 27 Jun 2014 20:16:51 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25642Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky was the surprise hit of Sony’s E3 2014 press conference with its dinosaurs and its X-Wings and its interplanetary travel. Despite its appealing aesthetics and the way it effortlessly taps into some section of my brain that has formulated the perfect game but could never define it before now, I can’t shake this feeling that I don’t really understand No Man’s Sky.
On a basic level, I get that you’re exploring the universe, charting the unknown and discovering new species and ships. Hello Games has been ...

Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky was the surprise hit of Sony’s E3 2014 press conference with its dinosaurs and its X-Wings and its interplanetary travel. Despite its appealing aesthetics and the way it effortlessly taps into some section of my brain that has formulated the perfect game but could never define it before now, I can’t shake this feeling that I don’t really understand No Man’s Sky.

On a basic level, I get that you’re exploring the universe, charting the unknown and discovering new species and ships. Hello Games has been purposefully tight-lipped about their game, however, only dolling out small nuggets of information. Just enough to string you along, but not enough so that you know everything going in.

For a game that is so heavily based on discovery, this makes a certain amount of sense but it is an industry trend to have games with the sort of scope that No Man’s Sky seems to have be vague and mysterious but then not actually deliver (Spore, anyone?).

I’ve also heard some conflicting information about No Man’s Sky, such as “is it actually multiplayer” or what are you going to be doing when the game finally lands. The first is rather concerning for me because I’d love to team up with a few friends and roam the stars. I’ve heard that everyone exists on the same server at the same time and coversely that all games are separate but the names of discovered planets and species are shared.

No Man’s Sky is a beast of a different sort, that much is for sure, and I’m excited for it. I just wish that Hello Games would let us peek behind the curtain a bit more. What do you guys think about No Man’s Sky? What have you heard about it?

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/27/dont-understand-mans-sky-hopeful/feed/3Watch a Speedrunner Beat Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes in Less Than Four Minuteshttp://gamersushi.com/2014/06/25/watch-speedrunner-beat-metal-gear-solid-v-ground-zeroes-less-four-minutes/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/25/watch-speedrunner-beat-metal-gear-solid-v-ground-zeroes-less-four-minutes/#commentsWed, 25 Jun 2014 19:43:15 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25636Ever since I watched the 30 minute Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain E3 gameplay demo, I’ve been on kind of a Metal Gear Solid kick. I’m interested in Ground Zeroes, the prequel of sorts to TPP, and even though I understand the game has a lot more content than it appears to have at first glance, this speedrunner beating Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes in less than four minutes with an S rank kind of belies that.
He has an almost perfect run and relies pretty heavily ...

]]>Ever since I watched the 30 minute Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain E3 gameplay demo, I’ve been on kind of a Metal Gear Solid kick. I’m interested in Ground Zeroes, the prequel of sorts to TPP, and even though I understand the game has a lot more content than it appears to have at first glance, this speedrunner beating Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes in less than four minutes with an S rank kind of belies that.

He has an almost perfect run and relies pretty heavily on the Reflex mode, but it’s still damn entertaining to watch.

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/25/watch-speedrunner-beat-metal-gear-solid-v-ground-zeroes-less-four-minutes/feed/1GamerSushi Asks: What Are You Playing?http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/25/gamersushi-asks-playing-2/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/25/gamersushi-asks-playing-2/#commentsWed, 25 Jun 2014 19:29:48 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25632With the Steam Sale in full swing and the hot summer weather outside, there’s no better reason to stay inside and play some video games!
In this somewhat regular post series, we ask you guys a pretty simple question: what have you been playing?
Personally I’ve been moseying my way through Watch Dogs. Originally I started off doing all of the side quests but as the game has dragged on (I’m at the last mission of Act 3) I’ve kind of given up on that and am devoted to getting through ...

With the Steam Sale in full swing and the hot summer weather outside, there’s no better reason to stay inside and play some video games!

In this somewhat regular post series, we ask you guys a pretty simple question: what have you been playing?

Personally I’ve been moseying my way through Watch Dogs. Originally I started off doing all of the side quests but as the game has dragged on (I’m at the last mission of Act 3) I’ve kind of given up on that and am devoted to getting through the story as quickly as possible. Other than that I’ve been playing Pikmin 3, the free game I got from Mario Kart 8. It’s very fun with the gamepad, but also kind of hard, which I didn’t expect.

Other than that I hope to tackle Sniper Elite 3’s co-op, Company of Heroes 2’s Western Front Armies expansion and the Payday 2 Big Bank Heist. What’s on your plate?

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/25/gamersushi-asks-playing-2/feed/4Check Out 30 Minutes of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Gameplayhttp://gamersushi.com/2014/06/20/check-30-minutes-metal-gear-solid-v-phantom-pain-gameplay/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/20/check-30-minutes-metal-gear-solid-v-phantom-pain-gameplay/#commentsFri, 20 Jun 2014 18:18:00 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25620I know, we were all pretty down about Hideo Kojima’s latest foray into the ever-retconned mess of the Metal Gear Solid universe when we discussed the E3 2014 trailer in our most recent podcast, but this 30 minute gameplay demo of The Phantom Pain has me intrigued. There’s no uncomfortable sexual torture or ash-smearing, just Big Boss being a fricking bad-ass and infiltrating a Russian outpost to search for intel. As a bonus, we also get a glimpse of Mother Base, which, if memory serves, wasn’t an actual location in ...

]]>I know, we were all pretty down about Hideo Kojima’s latest foray into the ever-retconned mess of the Metal Gear Solid universe when we discussed the E3 2014 trailer in our most recent podcast, but this 30 minute gameplay demo of The Phantom Pain has me intrigued. There’s no uncomfortable sexual torture or ash-smearing, just Big Boss being a fricking bad-ass and infiltrating a Russian outpost to search for intel. As a bonus, we also get a glimpse of Mother Base, which, if memory serves, wasn’t an actual location in Peace Walker. The gameplay demo starts at around 41 minutes into the show, but I suppose you can watch the rest of it if you happen to understand Japanese. Don’t worry, the demo is narrated in English.

It looks like Kojima Productions have made a lot of really smart updates to the formula of Metal Gear Solid. While the “iDroid” is a little out of place for the mid-80s (which is when TPP takes place) it allows you to tackle the open world in a variety of ways thanks to waypoints and soldier-tagging. Also, Fulton-ing sheep looks hilarious. So, did this pique anyone’s interest?

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/20/check-30-minutes-metal-gear-solid-v-phantom-pain-gameplay/feed/0A Whole New World: Destiny Alpha Impressionshttp://gamersushi.com/2014/06/18/whole-new-world-destiny-alpha-impressions/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/18/whole-new-world-destiny-alpha-impressions/#commentsWed, 18 Jun 2014 22:53:50 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25613I’ve had this weird sort of fascination with Destiny ever since Bungie first released news about it. There’s one part of me that feels a tinge of regret whenever I see it in motion, knowing that I could have been involved with it in some way (a job opportunity that ultimately didn’t pan out for me). Another part of me has moved on from multiplayer games almost entirely—other priorities have taken precedence in my life, including family, writing and friends. And even though videos of the game in motion never ...

I’ve had this weird sort of fascination with Destiny ever since Bungie first released news about it. There’s one part of me that feels a tinge of regret whenever I see it in motion, knowing that I could have been involved with it in some way (a job opportunity that ultimately didn’t pan out for me). Another part of me has moved on from multiplayer games almost entirely—other priorities have taken precedence in my life, including family, writing and friends. And even though videos of the game in motion never quite thrilled me, there was something about the game that I found intriguing.

And the Alpha won me over completely.

Destiny doesn’t feel like Halo. Sure, there are things about the art style and the music that are quite distinctly Halo-ish. But on the whole, the game reminds me more of Mass Effect in its tone, with a combination of Borderlands thrown into boot. This is a very good thing. There’s something very 70s sci-fi about the whole package, in a way that makes you feel small and brave when exploring the huge, empty expanses of Earth.

For me, the Destiny Alpha really sang when traversing these spaces. Not only because the art is gorgeous (seriously, the game is pretty), but also because of the way it seamlessly sandwiches players together in a way that doesn’t feel intrusive or forced. While only you and your fire team can tackle instances together, the shared world (or worlds, according to what we’ve been told—Earth is just the appetizer), can be inhabited by other players and other fire teams. Suddenly, the wide open spaces don’t feel smaller with more bodies in them, they actually feel bigger. You feel like part of an enormous universe.

This is most evident when tackling Public Events, epic encounters which pull several fire teams together. On one night of playing with Anthony and my brother, we were pulled into a couple of Public Events, and each one was intense, huge and fun. Enemies were dropping all around us. Grenades tossed into the fray. Powers were used. Objectives were held. All while multiple groups worked together.

To me, Destiny is at its strongest when showing you these glimpses, paired with its enormous amount of content. Anthony and I spent several hours just exploring one small cranny of the world. You use your AI to locate objectives, seek them out, and then go on whatever quests you find. All of these lead organically to more quests, in a way that never feels tedious or overwrought, and all which make great use of the amazing landscapes. I found myself loving visiting all of these places, partly because I was amazed at just how much “place” there was to explore.

There are some other locations in the Alpha, namely the Crucible, which is the game’s stand-in for multiplayer. I played a few matches, and was surprised at how much it didn’t feel like Halo to me. Part of me was disappointed by this (I’ve been waiting for another MP equivalent to Halo 3 since, well… Halo 3), but part of me was excited. I like the combination of powers and special skills into multiplayer, and the ability to bring your unique character and equipment really makes it feel personal and customizable.

The Tower is a social area, and one of my favorite aspects of the Alpha. This is where you return to cash in your missions, get more loot, and connect with other players. It reminds me of the Citadel in more ways than one. You’d be surprised how easy it is to find yourself sitting next to other players in your party, watching the sunset or the ships roll in.

Like I said earlier, I found myself a bit skeptical about what Bungie wanted to deliver with Destiny. And now I feel like its release is something that I can’t avoid. I’ve been waiting for a new multiplayer shooter to hold me over, and this might be the one.

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/18/whole-new-world-destiny-alpha-impressions/feed/3God Helped Me, I Played the Battlefield: Hardline Beta and (Mostly) Had Funhttp://gamersushi.com/2014/06/16/god-helped-played-battlefield-hardline-beta-mostly-fun/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/16/god-helped-played-battlefield-hardline-beta-mostly-fun/#commentsMon, 16 Jun 2014 20:05:49 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25607Over the weekend I put a few hours into the Battlefield: Hardline beta on the PC and, despite all the misgivings I had going into it I actually had a good time. The game is still several months out from release (Battlefield: Hardline comes out October 21) so having a honest to goodness beta instead of marketing tool disguised as one scored EA/Visceral some points. The Battlefield: Hardline beta only features one map (High Tension) and two modes (Blood Money and Heist) and a small selection of guns and gadgets ...

Over the weekend I put a few hours into the Battlefield: Hardline beta on the PC and, despite all the misgivings I had going into it I actually had a good time. The game is still several months out from release (Battlefield: Hardline comes out October 21) so having a honest to goodness beta instead of marketing tool disguised as one scored EA/Visceral some points. The Battlefield: Hardline beta only features one map (High Tension) and two modes (Blood Money and Heist) and a small selection of guns and gadgets but the infantry-focused combat might have won me over.

I mostly played Blood Money during my time with the beta, and for those of you who aren’t familiar with this mode it’s basically a tug-of-war where the cops and criminals try to take cash from a central location back to their own personal vaults, with the team that reaches five million dollars first being the winner. You can steal cash from the other team’s vault to set them back, as well. High Tension is a small map, so running to the central objective and back to your home base can be accomplished quickly, even on foot. One of my major pet peeves in Battlefield is running or driving forever and dying before you can accomplish anything so the signs that Hardline might be moving away from this is a positive in my books.

Guns and classes have been tweaked again and the cash you earn in-game by playing the objective and killing your opponents can be used to purchase gadgets or guns and attachments. You no longer have to wait to rank up to gain access to guns, you can buy them as soon as you have the required moolah. The same goes for gadgets and attachments, although you have to earn weapon service stars to unlock different categories.

Battlefield: Hardline also fixes a lot of really small annoyances that have been in the most recent Battlefields like the HUD clutter when you aim down your sights (Hardline removes objective markers when you ADS) or the fact that the server doesn’t show you what map and game mode is coming up next. I dislike having to purchase the next game in order to get improvements that should be patched into existing games but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

One thing I didn’t like about Hardline was the Armored Rescue Vehicle which is impervious to small-arms fire (unlike every other vehicle which you can blow up with regular guns) and carries a grenade launcher and two machine guns. Most people aren’t running with RPGs at this point, so a person in an ARV can dominate the map with little resistance. If the enemy team captures your ARV, then it turns into a slaughter. This post on the Battlefield: Hardline beta forums sums up why the ARV is broken right now.

The Armored Rescue Vehicle being unbalanced was the only negative about my time with Hardline. I didn’t particularily care for Heist, although that might be because my team refused to play the objective. The criminal side spawns right on top of the bank trucks you need to break into and my team still didn’t bother arming the breaching charges. I know that’s not the game’s fault, but come on, PTFO.

I’m resolute in waiting for launch-day reviews but Battlefield: Hardline did a good job impressing me with its limited beta. The smaller maps and infantry focused combat reminded me a lot of Bad Company 2 and if Visceral works out a few balance issues this game should be good to go (barring any launch day catastrophes). Did anyone else try the Battlefield: Hardline beta and for what platform?

]]>http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/16/god-helped-played-battlefield-hardline-beta-mostly-fun/feed/1Modder Restores Watch Dogs to its E3 2012 Demo Gloryhttp://gamersushi.com/2014/06/16/modder-restores-watch-dogs-e3-2012-demo-glory/
http://gamersushi.com/2014/06/16/modder-restores-watch-dogs-e3-2012-demo-glory/#commentsMon, 16 Jun 2014 18:12:59 +0000http://gamersushi.com/?p=25603Between its debut at E3 2012 and its final release on May 27, Watch Dogs received a noticeable downgrade in the looks department. An intrepid modder over on Guru3D.com found some unused files in the games install folder that restores Watch Dogs to its former E3 2012 visual glory as well as fixing some of the console port-itis the PC version suffers from.